we have nato in the north and turkey a very strong partner in jordan. of course we mentioned israel to the west, all of whom share common interests in making sure these spillover effects don't affect them. that's what we're doing. we're planning. we've got options for any number of military contingencies. we're maintaining both a deterrent and preparedness posture. >> did the military continue to include u.s. forces or something you see as a regional thing, securing the ground, as it were, in syria. >> we are better when we operate as partners, especially that part of the world. of course any option we would probably be asked to provide at least the capabilities no one else has. we have some extraordinary capabilities. >> intelligence gathering certainly would be one of them. what about the use of force, use of forces? >> a lot depends on what the situation is. if assad suddenly comes down, is it a permissive situation, a form of government, different than a hostage situation where there's chaos. we've got to be able to plan for every contingency in ord